B.C. Arts and Culture gets $1.5M Boost from Government

British Columbia is investing money into making the province more of a creative place.

A new provincial strategy was announced on Thursday afternoon to help grow the arts and culture. The strategy is a three-year plan where the province will be spending a targeted 1.5 million towards shared creative spaces.

“We are so fortunate to have a wealth of creative talent here in B.C. with more artists per capita than any other province in Canada - in one of the most rapidly growing sectors in the world. Building B.C.'s creative economy will attract new investment, foster innovation and create jobs for British Columbians,” Peter Fassbender, Minister of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development said.

The creation of the Creative Economy Strategy saw consultations with stakeholders in the creative sector. The strategy will focus on four areas of growth:

1. Leveraging talent and creative clusters

2. Accessing new markets

3. Maximizing investment

4. Enriching communities

Within these four large areas the province will invest in Aboriginal artists, bettering the international presence, promoting public and private partnerships and philanthropy, and investing in hosting more major festivals and events.

On top of the 1.5 million investment the B.C. government also announced an additional $300,000 will be given over two years to artsVest. ArtsVest is a training program that helps create new sponsorships in arts and culture.